Permanent waving apparatus



Sept. 12, 1933.. H. N. DURHAM El AL I PERMANENT WAVING- APPARATUS Filed April 3, 1933 Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE George B.

Finnegan,

J r., Mountain Lakes,

N. J.,' assignors to Beauty Utilities, Ina, Summit, N. J a corporation of Delaware Application April 3," 1933. Serial No. 664,116

/ Claims.

The present invention relates to permanent waving, and more particularly to a novel and improved heating pad for heating a wound tress of hair to permanently wave it.

5 Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities m and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawing, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrates one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawing:

Figure l of the drawing is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a side elevation showing the embodiment shown in Figure 1 as applied to a tress wound on a curling rod, with certain parts shown in section.

The present invention has for its object the provision of an improved device for heating, steaming and applying waving chemicals to hair in the permanent waving process, particularly where the heat and steam are generated by electrolytic conduction. For convenience, the device is hereinafter referred to as a heating pad. Another object of the invention is the provision of'a lotion carrying and heat generating pad adapted to be wrapped around a wound tress of hair so as to uniformly heat the curl while subjecting it to the heated vapors generated from the iotion. Moreover, the invention provides an electrolytic heating pad which automatically seals the steam and moisture, reducing to a minimum escape and leakage of liquid, while the improved construction of the pad renders short circuiting through careless application of the pad practically impossible.

Referring now in detail to the present preferred and illustrative embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawing, the pad comprises a relatively thin layer of absorbent material 1, which is an electrical insulator when dry, and is electrolytically conducting when saturated. with an electrolytically conducting hair taken on the line 2-2 waving solution. For this purpose, we prefer to use a layer of felt or flannel which has been treated for pick -up to increase its absorptive capacity. This sheet of felt or flannel is preferably slightly longer than the normal length of a long, wound tress ready for heating, and is slightly wider than the circumference of such a wound tress, so that when the wound tress has beenencloscd in the sheet of felt or flannel, it is completely covered thereby.

On the inner side of the sheet of felt or flannel 1, is positioned a sheet of perforated metallic foil 2, or other foramlnous inetal, which is slightly narrower than the sheet of felt or flannel, and is positioned thereon so that a narrow margin 3 and 4i of felt is provided along three sides of the foil, while one end 5 of the foil projects above the sheet of felt. The perforations in foil 2 are preferably provided over the entire area and may be uniformly spaced, or otherwise, as desired. This foil may be very thin, and may be reenforced by a sheet of thin parchment paper 6, perforated in register with the foil, and secured to the foil by light waxing, this paper also serving to electrically insulate the inner sheet of foil 2 from contact with the metal curling rod 7 on which the hair is wound. The paper is on the side of the foil 2 away from the felt or flannel 1. While the paper serves as an electrical insulator to prevent contact between the inner foil and a the curling rod, it also serves to prevent contact between the metal foil and the hair wound on the curling rod, thereby avoiding any possibility of the hair being discolored by contact with this foil during the heating process.

On the outer side of the sheet of felt or flannel 1 is positioned a sheet of metal foil 8 which is preferably imperforate and considerably thicker than the sheet oi perforated foil. This outer sheet of foilis preferably" wider and longer than the sheet of absorbent material 1, and forms a wrapping or envelope within which is contained the absorbent material, the innerfoil and the wound tress of hair to be waved.

The several sheets are preferably assembled and held together by a line of stitching 9 in the position shown in Figure 1 of thedrawing, in which the perforate sheet of foil 2 with the registering sheet of perforate paper 6 is positioned on the absorbent sheet 1' with equai margins 3 of felt along both edges of the foil and paper. At the lower end of the pad, the perforate foil "2 is pref erably spaced from the end or the felt to pro vide a somewhat wider margin 4 of felt which may be positioned at the bottom' of the curling rod 7 immediately below the bottom of the wound tress and between it and the scalp to absorb any lotion which might tend to drip onto the scalp of the customer. The upper end 5 of the foil 2 preferably extends beyond the felt 1 and provides an uninsulated metallic terminal to which electrical contact may be easily made after the padthas been wrapped around the wound tress and curling rod 7, as shown in Figure 3.

The imperforate sheet of foil 8 extends beyond one edge of the sheet of felt 1, and is positioned so that its upper end is slightly below the upper edge of the felt to provide a narrow, insulating margin 10 of felt between the two layers of foil. The lower edge of the imperforate foil extends for a slight distance below the bottom of the felt and said outer or imperforate sheet of foil is sufliciently thick and yet pliable enough to per mit its being crimped below the wound tress of hair and adjacent to the lower end of the curling rod, thereby providing a seal ,13 between the heated curl and the scalp of. the customer. The imperforate layer of foil is preferably of sufiicient width to permit its being wrapped around the wound tress of hair for more than a single circumference. The wide margin of felt 4 is not heated during the waving process due to the fact that practically no current passes through this marginal portion which is preferably positioned at the bottom of the curling rod 7 and below the bottom end of the wound tress. The marginal portion 4 also serves to cool any liquid which i might drop on the customers scalp.

In the electrolytic process of hair waving, the heating pad of the present invention is saturated with a hair waving lotion capable of conducting sufficient electricity at relatively low voltages to produce enough heat to permanently wave the tress. Such a solution may comprise ammonium carbonate dissolved in water, although many other solutions are suitable and may be used, if

-. desired. When the electrolyte comprisesja solution of ammonia or an ammonium salt, the passage of the electric current through'the lotion or electrolyte generates heat which causes the electrolyte to steam and liberate ammonia vapor, the steam and ammonia vapor escaping through the perforations onto the wound tress of hair and permanently waving it.

While the foils used may be of any suitable metal, lead foil, preferably containing a very small amount of tin, is highly satisfactory, as it is not seriously attacked during the process, does not discolor the hair, retains the shape imparted to it by winding it about the wound tress and by crimping it at the bottom of the curling rod, and is non-polarizable and may be used with either direct or alternating current. Such foil also has a relatively low melting point, so that any short circuit through the foil causes immediate localized fusing, which thereby reduces any possible danger from short circuiting to a minimum.

The heating pads of the present invention permit the heating of the curl at the extreme bottom of the curling rod and both layers of foil are easily accessible for contact with the connectors which supply current to the two sheets of foil. The waxing of the paper to the inner sheet of thin foil reinforces the foil while .the bad is being applied to the tress wound on the curling rod, but is released from the foil during the heating process, thereby insuring that new heating pads are used on each customer, and preventing the unsanitary conditions which now frequently prevail where the lotioncarrying pads are used more than once.

In use, the heating pads are wrapped around the tress of hair to be waved after the tress has been properly wound on a curling rod '7 and covered with tape 12. Just prior to wrapping, he heating pads are moistened with the waving 0- tion, and any excess lotion may be squeezed out of the pads. This moistening is easily accomplished with the illustrative embodiment of the invention inasmuch as the inner side of the felt is covered with the perforated foil while the'outer side of the felt is exposed over substantially its entire area. After moistening, the pad is positioned on the wound tress with the perforate paper against the tress, the margin 4 of .felt at the bottom of the curling rod, and with the imperforate foil extending laterally away from the curling rod. The pad is then wound around the curling rod, and the imperforate foil is wrapped around the felt to seal the tress within the wound pad. The bottom of the imperforate foil may then be crimped below the curling rod, either by hand or by a suitable crimping tool. When so wound the connectors of opposite polarity are connected to the exposed parts of the inner and outer sheets of foil as indicated in Figure 3, and current is supplied from trans former 11 for the requisite period of time until the tress is permanently waved. Preferably, the felt is not completely saturated with the hair waving lotion, and when the pad becomes heated, the tendency to drip lotion onto the scalp of the customer is thereby reduced. After a suffic'ient period of heating, the pad may then be removed and the tress unwound from the curling rod, washed, set and dried in the usual manner.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specificmechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What we claim is: i

1. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between an inner sheet of thin, perforate lead foil and an outer sheet of relatively thick lead foil and means for securing said sheets together.

2. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between an outer sheetof relatively thick lead foil and an inner sheet of thin perforate lead foil reenforced by paper on the side away from said absorbent material.

3. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of perforate metal foil of a size sufficient to enclose a wound tress of hair, a sheet of absorbent material slightly wider than said foil and superposed thereon to cover all but one end of said foil, and an outer sheet of metal foil secured to said absorbent sheet along one edge thereof so that when wrapped around a wound tress of hair the outer foil encloses the absorbent sheet and perforate foil.

4. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of foramlnous metal, a sheet of absorbent material superposed thereon and contacting with a substantial area of said foraminous metal and a sheet of metal foil extending laterally from one edge of said absorbent sheet and secured thereto to form a tight,

recess? vapor retaining outer covering when said pad is wrapped around a wound tress.

5. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between perforate and imperferate sheets of metal foil, one of said foils and the absorbent sheet being secured together in substantial register with each other, said foils being insulated from metallic contact with each other by a margin of absorbent material.

6. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between perforate and imperforate sheets of metal foil, and a sheet of perforate paper secured to said perforate foil and covering one face thereof.

'7. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between perforate and imperforate sheets of metal foil, and means for securing said sheets together, said sheets being so positioned relative to each other that the perforate foil extends beyond said other sheet and provides a terminal.

8. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between perforate and imperforate sheets of metal foil and means for securing said sheets together in overlapping relation, said perforate sheet extending beyond one end of said absorbent material and said imperforate foil extending from one side of said absorbent material whereby electrical connections may be made to said foils.

9. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent ma terial positioned between perforate and imperforate sheets of metal foil, said sheets being positioned relatively to each other to provide a margin of absorbent material at the bottom of said perforate foil with said imperforate foil extending below said margin.

10. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between perforate and imperforate sheets of metal foil, said sheets being positioned on each other so that the perforate foil stops short of the bottom of the absorbent sheet and the imperforate foil extends at least to the bottom of the absorbent sheet to provide a nonheating, scalable margin of absorbent material to be positioned" at the bottom of the wound tress to prevent drippi 11. An electrolytic heating pad for permanently waving hair comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between perforate and imperferate sheets of metal foil, said sheets being secured together in partial overlapping relationship, said imperforate foil extending below one end of said absorbent material to provide a seal below a wound tress to be heated.

12. An electrolytic permanent-waving heating pad comprising a sheet of absorbent material positioned between two sheets of metal foil, one of said sheets of foil being perforated and having-a coating of electrical insulating material on its face which is away from the absorbent sheet.

13. A curl heating device for permanent waving including in combination a curl support, a heater comprsing an absorbent electrolyte carrier, two metallic foil electrodes engageable with opposite faces of the electrolyte carrier over a substantial area so as to provide a short current 0 path through the carrier, and meansfor insulating the curl support from the adjacent electrode.

14. A curl heating device for permanent waving including in combination a curl support, a heater comprising an absorbent electrolyte carrier, two metallic foil electrodes engageable with opposite faces of the electrolyte carrier over a substantial area so as to provide a short current path through the carrier, means for insulating the curl support from the adjacent electrode, and 110 electric circuit terminals connected directly to the electrodes of the pad.

15. An electrolytic permanent waving heater comprising a flexible laminated assembly of an absorbent, pad for an electrolyte, electrodes of 115 substantial area in electrical contact with opposite faces of the pad, thus forming a short conducting path for the current, and a non-conducting sheet positioned between the hair and the contiguous electrode, the heater being flexible 120 so that it can be wrapped around a curl for heating it.

HOBART N. DURHAM. 

